Gas-producer.



. B. CHAPMAN.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.

Patented May 9, 1916.

pnrrnn snares rarnnr clarion.

WILLIAM BREWSTER CHAPMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNQB TO CHAPMAN ENGI- NEEBING 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

GAS-PRODUCER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. February 13, 1912. Serial No. 677,339.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. CHAP- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Producers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to insure uniformly distributing the green coal over the surface of the burning fuel in gas producers and simultaneously to rake or harrow the surface of the coal has it becomes afi'ected by the fire, thereby raking up the crust or cake-which tends to form on top of the fuel bed by reason of the distillation ui the hydro-carbon, preliminary to the actual burning of the coal and filling up or closing the holes or gaps which constantly tend to form in the fire bed.

My present improvements are especially applicable to the ordinary type of, gas producer, consisting of a stationary body or shaft in which reactions are brought about by an upward draft current. Heretofore such producers have usually been supplied with a stationary top or charging floor, fitted With a charging hopper or other means of introducing the fuel, and the producer often provided with mechanical devices in one form or another for agitating or Shaking the fire bed.

My present invention contemplates the provision 'for such producers of a rotatable head or top, the same provided with a hopper for the green coal, which extends dowpward below the top to the level of the burning fuel or fire within the producer and which extends laterally from approximately the center of the producer outward to the side. This rotating top is fitted to the stationary body of the producer and in turning carries the hopper with it, sweeping the open lower end of the hopper over the surface of the fire, with the double result of uniformly spreading the fresh coal and raking and breaking up the surface of the burning or gas'ifying fuel and closing the gaps.

My invention involves other features of importance, all of which will be fully set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

For the purpose of a specific description of theinvention, reference is now had to the accompanying drawings, which represent, as an example, the preferred embodiment of my invention.

In these drawingsFigure 1 is a plan view of a producer equipped with my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the coal hopper.

10 indicates the body of a producer, which as here shown is of the stationary bricklined type with an upwardly flowing draft current and a gas outlet conduit 11 near the top. At the upper end of the producer body 10 is the usual charging floor 12, which extends to the sides of the producer body as shown in Fig. 2. The fuel bed within the producer is maintained at a predetermined height, as indicated, for example, at the point a in Fig. 2, the same being below the gas outlet 11.

The producer has a revolving top or head which is preferably metal water-cooled to prevent burning. Said head as here shown comprises anouter annular section 14 and a circular central section 15, the same being suitably matched together for convenience in construction and for the further purpose of pre enting destructive stresses, due to the heat to which the parts are necessarily subjected. The whole is flanged as shown or otherwise formed to be Water flooded through a supply pipe 16.

17 indicates an overflow pipe for withdrawing the water so that a circulation may be maintained in accordance with the coin- Inon practice.

The Whole top is designed to rotate on the stationary producer, for which purpose the top has a peripheral gear 18, engaged by push and pull pawls 1?) actuated by a suitable eccentric on a. slowly rotating lay shaft '20, in which manner, or by other devices as r n w not, with respect to the hopper, necessarily essential. It is essential, however, that the s 1read-ing and harrowing magazine be thus eccentrically located and that it comma. ricate with the hopper in the manner shown best in Fig. This magazine is indicated at 27 in the drawings. It consists in a metal structure communicating with the base of the hopper 23 and having its inner Wall. extending down in or adjacent to the axis of rotation of the top and its outer wall flaring outward into proximity to the outer side of the body of the producer. The bottom of the magazine is open, as shown, and it constitutes, therefore, the radius-of the producer body. This spreading and harrowing magazine 27, togeher with the receiving hopper 23, moves bodily with the rotating top of the producer, and the open. lower end of the magazine extends down to the upper surface of the hot or burning fuel contents of the producer, the unlr-urned or green coal is fed into the hopper :23 and from this into the magazine 27 and in operation a mass of this green coal'is maintained continually in the magazine by continual feeding from the hopper There fore, as the top and its attachments are rotated on the stationary producer body, the magazine is swept in a circular path bodily over the top of the burningfuel. By reasonof the radial position of the magazine, it, in its movement, crosses the whole surface of the fire and the coal from the magazine is fed in What might be called a compensating manner, 71. 6., the coal is put in in low spots and withheld in high spots, resulting in an even and level fire bed. Further and of even greater importance, blow holes or chimney like apertures, which usually form in the fire bed and result in. a poor gas with high CO content, are prevented from forming,

by the constant filling-in effect resulting from the continual harrowin This breaks up the crust which tends to form and effectually closes said blow holes, thus keeping the surface of the fire open and firmend insuring uniform and thorough reaction in. accordance with the known operation of gas producers. The-magazine for the unburned or fresh coal must project below the gas outlet flue 11 because the level a: of the coal cannot rise above the fine. This requires a relatively long fuel magazine and in connection with such a niagarine the intermittent motion of the top and its attachments is important, because the unburned coal when acted on by the heat tends to agglomerate and clog in the magazine and is only dislodged by the jarring or vibration of the magazine due to the intermittent movement of the top. I r l The top and its attachment are designed by preference to rotate in the d rection indicated by the arrows in the drawings and,

for this purpose, the rear or following wall 21 of the magazine, 1s pro ected down and slightly below the leading and side walls of the magazine. Said following wall 27,- therefore, is the actual element on the raking of the fire surface as well as in the spreading and distribution of the green coal over the same. For obvious reasons I prefer to water-cool this following wall 27, and this is best effected by a dowutake pipe 28 leading into the cavity of said wall and fed from the flood of water on the producer top, an outtake pipe 29 discharging back into said flood.

lVithmost coals used in gas producers, the fire bed, if notproperly agitated, will become extremely porous or honeycombed, the best part of the coal binning away and leaving the skeleton of the fuel hanging up or arching across from wall to wall and 8 not moving downward in a compact mass as it should. 'l-Vhcn this condition arises in ordinary producers, the gas becomes very poor in quality and the the bed hasto be tamped. To overcome this tendency of the fire bed to hang up and become honeycombed, the bottom edge of the abovementioned water-cooled spreader wall. is made slightly beveled, so as to produce a down-stroking effect as it passes over the fire bed, and as this hanging up is most pronounced near the walls of the producer, the beveling or down stroke at this point is increased proportionately.

Many modifications may be made in. the construction of my improved producer without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, the real merit of which lies in the charging of coal in front of constantly revolving spreader wall. Thus, the hopper 27, as such might be dispensed with, except that it has this advantageous effect, to Wit: it prevents a puff of smoke from going out of the outlet nozzle every time a new charge of coal is dropped from the hopper. This is true, for when the chamber is used, the line coal and dirt as it comes from the hopper, must first pass down through the fresh coal in the chamber and out under the bottom edge of the chamber before it.115 can escape to the gas outlet uozzlc ;.l1nd this retarding effect has considerable influence in producing a gas freer from smoke and other iu'ipurities than it would otherwise be. Further, the hopper or, if it be omitted, the spreader wall need not necessarily extend to the rotating top, as a space might be left between its upper edge and said. top.- With this construction it would still perform its principal function, which is to act as a sweep passing over the tire bed.

extending up to the top thereof, a head rotating on said body and a coal magazine eccentrically carried on said head and projecting downward with its lower end open at the level of the fuel bed within the producer, the following wall of said magazine projecting slightly below the leading wall.

2. A gas producer with a stationary body extending up to the top thereof, a head rotating on said body and a coal magazine eccentrically carried on said head and projecting downward with its lower end open at the level of the fuel bed within the producer, the following wall of said magazine projecting and being chambered, and means for circulating a cooling medium through said chamher.

3. A gas producer with a stationary body extending up to the top thereof, a head rotating on said body and a coal magazine eccentrically carried on said head and projecting downward with its lower end open at-the level of the fuel bed within the proslightly below the leading wall ducer, the following wall of said magazine projecting slightly below the leading wall, said following wall having a beveled edge in contact with said fuel bed.

a. A gas producer with a stationary body extending up to the top thereof, a head 1'0- tating on said body and a coal magazine eccentrically carried on said head and projecting downward with its lower end open at the level of the fuel bed within the producer, the following wall of said inagazine projecting slightly below the leading wall, said following wall having a beveled edge in contact with said fuel bcd, said beveled edge rising from the fuel bed at the end adjacent the walls forming said producer body.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM BREWSTER CHAPMAN.

Witnesses F. lViLLIAMS, R. STILLWELL. 

